Article roll game and track therefor



July 30, 1968 L... w. MARTIN ARTICLE ROLL GAME AND TRACK THEREFOR FiledJan. 25. 1966 INVENTOR.

law/s mM/mmv ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,394,489 ARTICLE ROLL GAME AND TRACK THEREFORLewis W. Martin, Rte. 2, Box 288B, Manheirn, Pa. 17545 Filed Jan. 25,1966, Ser. No. 522,982 1 Claim. (Cl. 46-43) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amarble roll game which includes an elongate flexible bendable troughhaving an upwardly arcuate configuration for guiding a marble, a railunitarily formed therewith extending downwardly including a planarportion and a heart-shaped bead on the bottom thereof, a support with acomplementarily formed slot for receiving the heartshaped bead, aplurality of pillars secured to the supports and received in aperturesin a playing board for positioning the trough both vertically andlaterally according to the length and distribution of the pillars on theboard, said trough being so disposed to direct a marble in a rollingpath downwardly according to a pattern selected by the user isdisclosed.

This invention relates to a game in which articles, such as marbles,ball bearings, vehicles or the like, are rolled "down a predeterminedpath for the amusement of individuals. Because of the prevalent use ofmarbles in such a game, it is customarily called a marble roll.

As conducive of an understanding of the instant invention, it should bepointed out that the marble roll games of the prior art generallyconstitute a track, for carrying the rolling object, which is fixed bothas to path and as to slope. It will be apparent that a fixed trackprecludes the user from altering the rolling path of the object andconsequently lessens the enjoyment of the game.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a game for rollingobjects in which the path thereof may be altered by the user.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a game for rollingobjects in which the slope of the predetermined path may be readilychanged by an individual.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a game forrolling objects in which the predetermined path may be lengthened bytemporarily securing together a number of tracks.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a track for anarticle rolling game which is particularly adapted to be used in a gamein which the player desires to change either the configuration of thepath or the slope thereof.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a track foran article rolling game having an elongate trough of transverselyarcuate cross section with a grip rail extending away from the troughfrom the convex side thereof.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a track ofthe character described in which the grip rail is provided with anenlarged bead adapted to be received in a suitable holding device.

Still another object of the instant invention is to pro vide an articlerolling game and track therefor which may be inexpensively made andmarketed, which is durable and long lasting and which may be readilydisassembled for purposes of storage.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention reside in thecombinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features ofconstruction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter anddisclosed in the accompanying drawing, wherein there is shown apreferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

3,394,489 Patented July 30, 1968 In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the article rolling game of the instantinvention illustrating a base board having a multiplicity of holesreceiving supports for carrying a track made in accordance with theprinciples of the instant invention; A

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the game of FIGURE 1 clearlyillustrating the slope of the track;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the game track of theinstant invention illustrating one support and holding device and alsoillustrating a connecting sleeve secured together to similar tracks;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross sectional view of the connecting sleeveand its relation with the game track taken substantially along line 44of FIGURE 3 as viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view of the track andholder taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 3 as viewed in thedirection of the arrows, illustrating a spherical object received by thetrack: and,

FIGURE 6 is a transverse cross sectional view of the track receivinganother form of roller on which is mounted a vehicle simulating bodyshown in dash lines.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like referencecharacters designate like elements throughout the several views thereof,there is indicated generally at 10 the article rolling game of theinstant invention which has as its major components a base board 12providing a multiplicity of apertures 14 which constitute one part of asupporting means shown generally at 16 spacing a game track showngenerally at 18 above base board 12. Base board 12 may be made of anysuitable material, such as metal, wood, plastic, Masonite or the like,and although it is illustrated as rectangular with apertures 14 beingregularly spaced thereon, it should be understood that base board 12 maybe of any desired configuration with apertures 14 being placed in anysuitable manner.

In the play of game 10 a suitable rolling article, such as a sphere 20or a vehicle shown generally at 22 (which is more fully described in US.Patent 3,205,617), is placed in a receptacle shown generally at 24 atthe starting point of track 18. Because of the slope of track 18, as maybe seen in FIGURE 2, the rolling article traverses the pre determinedpath and comes to rest in a receptacle shown generally at 26 at thefinishing point.

Game track 18 includes an elongate trough 28 which has a transverselyarcuate concave cross sectional configuration, or more specifically across sectional configuration in the nature of a minor segment of acylinder. Providing a means of afiixing trough 28 to support 16 is agrip rail 30 which extends away from trough 28 from a point midwaybetween the transverse dimension thereof and at a point adjacent thelowermost surface of trough 28. Positioned on the outermost end of griprail 30 is an enlarged bead shown generally at 32 of substantiallyheart-shaped configuration having a shoulder 34 extending outwardly fromeach side of grip rail 30 and tapering to a point 36 for insertion intoa complementarily formed slot 38 which is in the lower part of a groovein a holder 40 of supporting means 16.

As previously intimated, one of the most important features of gametrack 18 is its ability to be temporarily deformed into rolling paths ofdifferent configurations. Accordingly, it is preferably made of aresilient bendable material, such as plastic or the like, which providesfor the curving of trough 28 while maintaining substantially the samecross sectional area shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. Since the path of track18 shown in FIGURE 1 may be changed at the will of the operator, it willbe apparent that the player may use game track 18 within any desiredconfiguration.

Supporting means 16 includes a plurality of pillars 42 of varyingheights to establish the slope of game track 18, as may be seen inFIGURE 2. As is apparent from FIGURES 2 and 3, the lower end of each ofpillars 42 is configured to be snugly received by apertures 14, whilethe upper end of each of pillars 42 is secured in a blind opening 44formed by holder 40. Since holder 40 is made of a resilient material,such as rubber, plastic or the like, it will be readily apparent thatholder 40 may be disengaged from grip rail 30 and heart shaped head 32for changing the point of location of supporting means 16 to game track18. It should be noted that apertures 14 in base board 12, plilars 42and holders 40 constitute supporting means 16.

Starting and finishing receptacles 24, 26 may be of any desired type orshape and are illustrated as a tear drop shaped device having anupstanding rail 46 extending about substantially the entire periphery ofreceptacles 24, 26 but forming an opening 48 adjacent the entrance andexit of game track 18. In the assembly of game a plurality of pillars 42may be placed in selected ones of apertures 14 in the desiredconfiguration. Since holder 40 is preferably secured to pillar 42,pillar 42 should be oriented such that slot 38 extends in the generaldirection of the desired path at which time bead 32 and guide rail 30may be inserted therein. Since the longer pillars are selected to bepositioned nearest starting receptacle 24, it will be apparent that arollable article placed therein will roll along the pathway of track 18to finish in receptacle 26.

Providing another variable in the game of the instant invention andthereby enhancing the enjoyment thereof is the provision of a connectingsleeve shown generally at 50 in FIGURES 3 and 4 for securing together apair of game tracks 18. Sleeve 50 includes a transversely arcuateconcave segment 52 complementarily configured to receive trough 28 asmay be seen in FIGURE 4 and a pair of inwardly directed flanges 54 forholding the upper edges of trough 28. A longitudinal slot 56 is formedin grip rail 30 adjacent the junction of grip rail 30 and trough 28 forreceiving segment 52 as may be seen in FIGURE 3.

In the assembly of game tracks 18, sleeve 50 may be inserted into slot56 of one of tracks 18 with slot 56 of the other track then beingslidably secured with the free end of sleeve 50. It will be noted thatreceptacles 24, 26 are preferably secured to game track 18 in a similarmanner to minimize the number of parts necessary in game 10 and tofacilitate the manufacture thereof.

It will be readily apparent that an individual may change the path andslope of game track 18 in any desired manner. In addition to theamusement features of article roll game 10, the slope and configurationof game track 18 may be changed to lend an educational attributethereto. For example, track 18 may be configured to provide a slightrise or hill between starting and finishing receptacles 24, 26 to studymomentum of rolling objects. By making the rise of suitable height, amarble will be unable to ascend the rise and continue the downward pathtoward finishing receptacle 26. On the other hand, a heavier ballbearing of like size will be able to ascend such a rise and complete thedownward travel to finishing receptacle 26 teaching the individual thatmass or weight is related to momentum.

It is now seen that there is herein provided an improved article rollgame and track therefor which accomplishes all of the objects andadvantages of the instant invention, including many others of greatpractical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, andsince many modifications may be made of the embodiment hereinbeforeshown and described, it is to be understood that the foregoing is to beinterpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A marble roll game which comprises the combination of:

an elongate trough having a transversely arcuate concave upwardconfiguration and a unitarily formed grip rail extending downwardly fromthe concave upward structure, said grip rail including a substantiallyplanar lip extending downward from the center of the upward structureand a downwardly pointed heartshaped bead having upper outwardly anddownwardly rounded shoulders, said head being formed for easy insertioninto a complementarily formed slot, said trough being constructed of abendable material for providing a lateral and vertical curvature of thetrack while maintaining substantially the same cross-section;

a plurality of supports having a groove formed in the top thereof forcomplementarily receiving the grip rail on the trough and an opening inthe bottom for receiving a pillar;

a plurality of pillars of varying lengths individually received in theopenings in the supports; and

a board having a multiplicity of apertures therethrough disrtibutedthroughout the area thereof, said apertures being adapted to receive thebottom of the individual pillars for supporting the pillars and forthereby permitting the trough to be positioned laterally and verticallyaccording to the length and distribution of the pillars under thetrough.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,714,433 5/1929 Molnar 46-432,000,808 5/ 1935 Williams 46-43 2,354,485 7/ 1944 Slaughter.

2,532,521 12/1950 Stair 46-43 2,862,333 12/ 1958 Gardiol 46-202 LOUIS G.MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

S. NATTER, Assistant Examiner.

